Apparatus for reciprocating a yarn guide

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for reciprocating a yarn guide to wind yarn on a bobbin including a rotating cam having spiral pilot grooves joined at the ends to form positions of direction reversal, a direction reversing guide wall superposed and longitudinally spaced from the pilot grooves at the positions of direction reversal, and a traveler including a pilot block riding in the pilot grooves to steer the traveler between the position of direction reversal and a shuttle or roller for engaging the guide wall to steer the traveler at the positions of direction reversal. The guide walls can form channels at positions of direction reversal and are detachable.

ilnited States Patent 1191 Sartori 14 1 Aug. 19, 1975 1 1 APPARATUS FOR RECIPROCATING A YARN GUIDE [75] Inventor: Rolland E. Sartori, Riorges, France Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation of Ser. No. 261,362, June 9, 1972,

abandoned.

[52] US. Cl. 242/43; 242/1583; 242/1585 [51 Int. Cl B65h 54/30 [58] Field of Search... 242/43, 158.3, 158.5;

1.816560 6/19 70 Germany 242/43 Primary E\'uminerStanley N. Gilreath Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Sherman & Shalloway [57] ABSTRACT Apparatus for reciprocating a yarn guide to wind yarn on a bobbin including a rotating cam having spiral pilot grooves joined at the ends to form positions of direction reversal, a direction reversing guide wall superposed and longitudinally spaced from the pilot grooves at the positions of direction reversal, and a traveler including a pilot block riding in the pilot grooves to steer the traveler between the position of direction reversal and a shuttle or roller for engaging the guide wall to steer the traveler at the positions of direction reversal. The guide walls can form channels at positions of direction reversal and are detachable.

6 Claims, 13 Drawing Figures asomse PATENTED AUG'I 91975 SHEET 1 of 2 APPARATUS FOR RECIPROCATING A YARN GUIDE This is a continuation of Application Ser. No. 261,363, filed June 9, 1972, now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention pertains to reciprocating apparatus for winding yarn and, more particularly to such apparatus including a rotating cam to move a yarn guide in a reciprocating fashion at high speeds to wind yarn on a bobbin with crossed turns, such apparatus reducing yarn wear and shock at positions where the yarn guide reverses direction of movement.

ZDiscussion Discusion of the Prior Art In the textile industry yarn is wound on a support or bobbin rotated by a drive roller; and, inorder to wind the yarn with crossed turns, a yarn guide is reciprocated while feeding the yarn to the nip defined between the bobbin and the drive roller. The yarn guide is generally secured to a rod disposed parallel to the nip, and the rod normally carries a plurality of regularly spaced yarn guides in order to supply yarn to a plurality of aligned bobbins. At one end the rod is secured to a cursor or traveler which rides in a pair of spiral or helical grooves in a generally cylindrical cam. The cam is rotated about its longitudinal axis such that the traveler is moved back and forth in opposite directions in the different spiral grooves thereby reciprocating the yarn guide relative to the bobbin. The traveer slides in a piar of rectilinear tracks forming a channel parellel to the axis of the rotating cam such that the traveler is subjected to the guiding force of the slide tracks as well as the reciprocating force from rotation of the cylindrical cam.

The above described apparatus for providing reciprocating movement of the yarn guide in winding yarn on a bobbin has proved satisfactory at relatively low winding speeds where the receprocating frequency has remained relatively low. Once the frequency of reciprocation is increased, however, severe shocks occur at .the positions of change in directiom of the traveler in the spiral grooves in the cam, such shocks being the result of the kinetic energy imparted to the'traveler moving in a first direction when the traveler is abruptly moved in a second direction opposite to the first direction. The shocks at the points of direction reversal of the spiral grooves cause wear of the components and, as a result, cause knocks which accentuate the effects of the wear. Thus, the above described apparatus cannot be satisfactorily utilized for rapid winding, and the trend in the textile industry is to operate at as high a speed as possible.

Many systems have been conceived for overcoming the above mentioned disadvantages with cam-driven reciprocating apparatus including the use of set-in components constructed of extra-hard materials at the ends of the reciprocating path, and the use of two associated and superposed tracks in the spirally grooved cam, a first set of grooves receiving a pilot block of the traveler and piloting the traveler at the points of direction reversal and a second set of grooves receiving a roller of the traveler in order to absorb shocks due to changes in direction. The latter system suffers from various disadvantages such as requiring complicated and expensive machining, the use of a double set of grooves having no function or purpose in the intermediate sections between the points of direction reversal where the travel of the cursor is in a constant direction, and primarily such system has a major disadvantage in that the wear beteen the cursor and the first set of grooves is uneven relative to the wear between the roller and the second set of grooves. Thus, the action of the roller becomes dominant at the points of direction reversal and harmful shocks arise due to the instantaneous changes in direction. Furthermore, in such systems unbalance is caused by the different coefficients of friction exerted on the guide block and roller in the assembly of grooves.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to overcome the above mentioned disadvantages in prior art reciprocating apparatus for winding yarn on bobbins and to provide such reciprocating apparatus capable of operating at exeremely high speeds without sacrificing precision winding.

The present invention is generally characterized in an improvement of apparatus for reciprocating a yarn guide for supplying yarn to be wound to a bobbin including a cylindrical periphery thereof and joined at opposite ends to define spaced positions of direction reversal, a slide track disposed in parallel with the cam and a traveler adapted to support the yarn guide and slidable in the slide track including a pilot block riding in the spiral groove, the improvement comprising a direction reversing guide means disposed at each of the positions of direction reversal, each of the direction reversing guide means including a guide wall superposed and longitudinally spaced from the outer side walls of the spiral grooves at the positions of direction reversal, and the traveler including a member abutting the guide wall during direction reversal of the traveler whereby the pilot block is not subject to impact with the side walls of the spiral grooves during direction reversal of the traveller.

Another object of the present invention is to provide reciprocating apparatus for winding yarn including a spirally grooved cam having specifically configured channels at the points of direction reversal, the specifically configured channels being machined in the body of the camor detachable from the body of the cam.

A further object of the present invention is to utilize extra hard and resistant-to-wear materials to construct direction reversig guides at the ends of a spirally grooved rotating cam for reciprocating a yarn guide.

The present invention has an additional object in the releasing or freeing of a pilot block of a traveler during direction reversal to prevent shock and impact of the pilot block during a change of direction.

Yet another object of the present invention is to widen the ends of the spiral pilot grooves of a rotating cam to prevent contact of a pilot block of a traveler with the side walls of the grooves during direction reversal and to guide the traveler during direction reversal by superposed guide walls at the ends of the cam, the superposed guide walls being configured to recieve either a shuttle or a roller of the traveler.

Some of the advantages of thepresent invention over the prior art that the reciprocating apparatus of the present invention permits rapid winding of -yam on bobbins with crossed turns without sacrificing precision winding and without appreciably increasing expense, the detachable direction reversing guide member may tion of the preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a broken elevation of a reciprocating cam according to the prior art.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are broken front and side elevations. respectively, ofa traveler for use with the reciprocating cam of FIG. I. v 8

FIG. 4 is a broken side elevation of a reciprocating cam according to the present invention.

FIGS. 5 and 6 are front andside elevations, respectively, of a traveler for use withthe reciprocating cam of FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a broken elevation partly in section of a modification of the reciprocating cam of FIG. 4 with a traveler at the point of direction reversal.

FIG. 8 is a broken side elevation of another embodiment of reciprocating apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a broken side elevation of the reciprocating cam of the embodiment of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 8.

FIG. 1 l is a cross section of the reciprocating apparatus of FIG. 8 with a shuttle at a position about to disengage the direction reversing channel.

FIG. 12 is a broken top plan view partially in section of the reciprocating appartus of FIG. 8 with the shuttle at a position about to disengage the direction reversing channel.

FIG. 13 is a side elevation of a modification of a traveler for the reciprocating apparatus of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS face corresponding to the curvature of the helical pilot grooves 22 and 24, and pilot block 32 is supported on a pin 34 extending through a shuttle to carry a yarn guide supporting rod adapted to be moved to provide reciprocating movement for the yarn guide supplying yarn to be wound to a bobbin. The shuttle has tongues on either end adapted to be received in grooves orchannels formed within a slide track having its length arranged in parallel with the longitudinal axis of the reciprocating cam 20. The pilot block 32 has a length L,

as shown in FIG. 1, to insure that the traveler is prophaving a sufiiciently large radius of curvature R to permit movement of the pilot block 32 therearound.

The reciprocating apparatus of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, as above described, suffers from the disadvantage that upon the traveler reaching the position 28 of-direction reversal at either end of the cam 20, the pilot block 32 will be subject to terrific shock and wear due to engagement with the outer side walls of the grooves. That is, the traveler will be reciprocating with great speed at high frequencies; and, accordingly, the momentum of kinetic energy developed during movement'in a single direction will cause the pilot block 32 to slam against the end walls of the pilot grooves at the position of direction reversal thereby causing wear between the pilot block 32 and the rotating cam 20 and developing play between the shuttle and yarn guide assembly and the pin 34 thereby reducing the precision of winding of the yarn around the bobbin. I I

Reciprocating apparatus according to the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 and includes a cylindrical rotating cam 38 having oppositely directed spiral or helical pilot grooves 40 and 42 formed therein similar to grooves 22 and 24 of FIG. 1. A second set of spiral or helical grooves 44 and 46 are super posed radially outwardly from grooves 40 and 42, re-

spectively, along the length of the rotating cam. The

grooves 40 and 42 are formed with substantially radi ally extending side walls 43 which each terminate at a spiral land 45 extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of the rotating cam, the lands 45 each terminating at a side wall 47 extending radially from the longitudinal axis of the rotating cam such that the grooves44 and 46 formed by lands 45 and side walls 47 are wider than the grooves 40 and 42. The superposed pairs of grooves 40, 42 and 44, 46 are each joined at a position of direction reversal 48 at both ends of the rotating cam 38, and a semi-circular recess 50 is cut into the outer-most land 45 at each position of direction reversal. The side walls 47 of grooves 44, 46 define inner and outer' guide walls for direction reversing channels at each position of direction reversal. I i

A traveler 52 is illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6 for movement within the grooves of rotating cam 38, the traveler including a curved pilot block 54 carried'by a pin 56 extending through a shuttle 58 to a yarn guide assembly similar to the traveler of FIGS. 2 and 3. Shuttle 58, however, also includes a hub 60 extending therefrom along the axis of pin 56, and a roller'62 is received on hub 60 between the shuttle 58 and the pilot block 54. The configuration of the pilot block 54 is such as to smoothly ride within grooves 40 and 42, and roller 62 has a diameter such as to ride within the superposed grooves 44 and 46.

Rotating cam 38 is desirably made of a plastic material and the lower set of grooves 40 and 42 may be formed therein in any conventional manner such as by machining. The upper set of grooves 44 and 46 may be formed in the cam 38 in a similar manner as grooves 40 and 42 or such grooves may be aligned with grooves 40 and 42 by forming a detachable separate sleeve slidable over the cam 38 and contoured to provide alignment of the upper and lower grooves, the outer sleeve being desirably formed of a hard, wear-resistant material such as hardened steel.

The operation of the reciprocating apparatus of FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 will be described with respect to FIG.

7, which also shows a modification of the rotating cam by supplying the cam with detachable members forming the upper grooves in a position only adjacent the position of direction reversalv That is, as shown in FIG.

7, a' sleeve-like member 64, of hard, wear-resistant material. is disposed around the rotating cam 38 adjacent position 48 of direction reversal in order to define outer radially extending wall 47 forming part of the direction reversing guide channels, and a member 68 is similarly disposed on the outer surface of rotating cam 38 aligned with position 48 of direction reversal with the member 68 having an inner wall 70 defining with wall 47 and lands 45, a set of direction reversing guide channels adjacent the position 48 of direction reversal.

As shown in FIG. 7, when the traveler reaches the position 48 of direction reversal, the recess 50 permits rotation or pivotal movement of the pilot block 54 with out requiring a large radius of curvature at the junction of the pilot grooves 40 and 42 and further releases the pilot block 54 from contact during direction reversal, such contact being absorbed by roller 62 which is guided through the position of direction reversal by outer guide wall 47 of the direction reversing channel. Thus, the pilot block 54 pivots upon itself during direction reversal thereby relieving most of the shock and concomitant wear from the grooves 40 and 42 and the pilot block 54. The radius of curvature of the recess 50 must be such as to permit this free pivoting of pilot block 54, and the radius of curvature of outer wall 47 should be at least equal to the radius of roller 62. The use of recess 50 permits the radius of curvature of the junction of the pilot grooves at the positions of direction reversal to be reduced.

With reference to FIG. 6, it will be seen that the shuttle 58 rides in grooves of a slide track 72; and, upon the reversal of direction or movement of the traveler, the shock point will be limited to a plane 74 indicated by dashed lines and passing through roller 62, such plane 74 being distinct from the center of gravity of the traveler indicated by dashed line 76 in order to produce a couple facilitating keying or turning of the traveler. Pilot block 54 does not perform any steering or directing function when the traveler is reversing direction and serves only to pilot the traveler in the portions of the spiral pilot grooves 40 and 42between the positions 48 of direction reversal.

A modification of the reciprocating apparatus of FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 is illustrated in FIGS. 8 through 12 and elements of the embodiment of FIGS. 8 through 12 identical to elements of the embodiment of FIGS. 4 through 6 are given identical reference numbers and not described again. Elements of the embodiment of FIGS. 8 through 12 similar to elements of the embodi ment of FIGS. 4 through 6 are given reference numbers with 100 added. The apparatus of FIGS. 8 through 12 differs from the apparatus of FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 primarily in that the shuttle is used to engage the outer guide wall 47 thereby keeping the center of gravity of the traveler at the plane of impact of the shuttle and guide wall.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 10, the reciprocating apparatus includes a rotating cam 38 having a single pair of spiral grooves 40 and 42 formed therein. The cam 38 is rotated by a spindle 78 aligned in parallel with a guide track 172 which has an elongated slot 80 in com munication with a pair of grooves forming a channel 82 for slidably receiving a shuttle 158. The slot 80 and channel 82 terminate at an offset portion 84 in slide track 172 to accommodate sleeve 64 defining wall 47 aligned with the position of direction reversal 48. If guide member 68 is being utilized, then the slide track 172 has a slot 173 formed therethrough to receive the guide member as the cam 38 rotates so that the slide track 172 will not interfere with the guide member and prevent rotation of the cam. Wall 47 defines a wide superposed direction reversing channel 146 at each direction reversal position 48. Recess 50 is disposed at each direction reversal position 48 as best illustrated in FIG. 9, and pilot grooves and 42 may be joined with a normal radius of curvature or by a side wall 88 having a truncated configuration as shown in phantom.

The traveler does not utilize a roller as in the previous embodiment, and the shuttle 158 has rounded ends 90 and 92 having a radius of curvature equal to the radius of the roller 62 of the embodiment of FIGS. 4 through 6. The length of the shuttle 158 between the ends 90 and 92 corresponds to the distance between walls 47 and 70 of guide members 64 and 68, respectively, if member 68, as shown in phantom in FIG. 8, is utilized; and the pilot block 54 is carried on pin 56 intermediate the ends 90 and 92.

In operation the truncated configuration of wall 88, as shown in FIG. 9, facilitates pivoting of the pilot block 54 at the position 48 of direction reversal, and the abutment of the rounded end 90, as best illustrated in FIG. 8 with the outer guide wall 47 of sleeve 64 performs the guiding function during the direction reversal of the traveler with the pilot block 54 not contacting the walls of grooves 40 and 42 and thereby not subject to shock and attendant wear.

As illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 12, the rounded end 90 of the shuttle 158 protrudes slightly from the slide track 172 as the shuttle is started on its return trip after direction reversal, and the pilot block 54 is spaced from the slide track. The offset portion 84 is designed to receive the sleeve 64, which sleeve may be cut into the body of the cam or can be detachable.

In FIG. 13 a shuttle 258 is illustrated having a stepped configuration, and the pin of the pilot block extends through the shuttle to directly carry a yarn guide 94. The configuration of the shuttle 258 is particularlry effective for use with the embodiment of FIG. 8 where member 68 is utilized in that the shuttle 258 has a pro truding portion 96 extending through slot 80 to engage inner guide wall of block 68 to permit the direction reversal channel 146 to provide guidance for both ends of the shuttle.

The direction reversal channel according to the present invention can be integrally formed in the body of the rotating cam or can be detachable thereby permitting the components forming the direction reversal channel, such as guide members 64 and 68 to be constructed of extra hard, wear-resistant materials. For example, the rotating cam may be constructed of a polyamide, and detachable components of hard steel may be provided to form the direction reversal channels for either the roller 62 in the embodiment of FIGS. 4 and 7 or the shuttle 158 in the embodiment of FIGS. 8 through 12. The use of the shuttle to steer the traveler during direction reversal rather than a roller provides the advantage that the center of gravity is thereby positioned at or adjacent the point of impact so that the center of gravity and point of impact occur in a plane which extends in the direction of motion of the shuttle.

The center of impact occurs on a shoulder 64a of the sleeve 64 which functions as the guide wall 47.

In accorance with the present invention a separate direction reversing guide wall 47 is superposed from the spiral pilot grooves 40 and 42 at the positions of direction reversal 48; and, accordingly, either the roller 62 or the shuttle 158 of the above described embodiments abut the guide wall 47 during direction reversal such that the pilot block 54 does not contact the side walls of the pilot grooves. In order to further assure that the pilot block is not subject to shock during direction reversal recesses 50 of a semi-circular configuration are formed in the outer side walls of the pilot grooves at the positions of direction reversal in order to permit pivotal movement of the pilot block without contact with the side walls while the roller or shuttle is guiding the traveler through the end of the rotating cam to change direction of the traveler. By providing the direction reversing guide members only at the ends of the rotating cam such members may be detachable from the body of the cam thereby permitting the cam to be advantageously made of a self-lubricating plastic material while the direction reversing guide members are constructed of an extra hard wear-resistant material such as hard steel. The guide members may, of course, be detached and replaced after suffering undesirable wear without requiring replacement of the entire recip' rocating apparatus.

Inasmuch as the present invention is subject to many variations, modifications and changes in detail, it is intended that all matter described above or shown in the accompanying drawings be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

1. In apparatus for reciprocating a yarn guide for supplying yarn to be wound to a bobbin including a cylindrical rotatable cam having a pair of spiral pilot grooves formed in the periphery thereof, said pilot grooves formed by side walls and joined at opposite ends of said cam to define spaced positions of direction reversal, track means disposed in parallel with said cam, and traveler means adapted to be connected with the yarn guide and slidably received in said track means, said traveler means including an axle carrying a pilot block riding in said pilot grooves, the improvement comprising:

direction reversing guide means disposed at each of said positions of direction reversal, each of said direction reversing guide means including a guide wall superposed and longitudinally spaced from the outer side walls of said pilot grooves at said direction reversal positions;

said traveler means including a shuttle slidable in said track means, said shuttle having rounded ends for abutting said guide wall at a center of impact during direction reversal of said shuttle, each of said direction reversing guide means including a guide member on said rotatable cam opposite and spaced from said guide wall to prevent said pilot block and said axle from impact with the side walls of said pilot grooves during direction reversal of said shuttle.

2. The improvement as recited in claim 1 wherein said pilot grooves have a recess formed therein at each of said positions of direction reversal to permit pivotal movement of said pilot block while said shuttle engages said guide wall during direction reversal.

3. The improvement as recited in claim 1, wherein said guide wall is a detachable member secured to said cam and wherein said track means has a channel extending therein which terminates to define an off-set beyond which the shuttle extends at direction reversal and adjacent to which the detachable member is positioned.

4. The immprovement of claim 3, wherein the detachable member is a sleeve slidably received onto the cam and wherein said sleeve has a shoulder on which the center of impact occurs.

5. The improvement as recited in claim 1, wherein the traveler has a center of gravity which is aligned with the center of impact along a plane extending in the direction of motion of said traveler.

6. The improvement as recited in claim 3, wherein the traveler has a center of gravity which is aligned with the center of impact along a plane extending in the direction of motion of said traveler. 

1. In apparatus for reciprocating a yarn guide for supplying yarn to be wound to a bobbin including a cylindrical rotatable cam having a pair of spiral pilot grooves formed in the periphery thereof, said pilot grooves formed by side walls and joined at opposite ends of said cam to define spaced positions of direction reversal, track means disposed in parallel with said cam, and traveler means adapted to be connected with the yarn guide and slidably received in said track means, said traveLer means including an axle carrying a pilot block riding in said pilot grooves, the improvement comprising: direction reversing guide means disposed at each of said positions of direction reversal, each of said direction reversing guide means including a guide wall superposed and longitudinally spaced from the outer side walls of said pilot grooves at said direction reversal positions; said traveler means including a shuttle slidable in said track means, said shuttle having rounded ends for abutting said guide wall at a center of impact during direction reversal of said shuttle, each of said direction reversing guide means including a guide member on said rotatable cam opposite and spaced from said guide wall to prevent said pilot block and said axle from impact with the side walls of said pilot grooves during direction reversal of said shuttle.
 2. The improvement as recited in claim 1 wherein said pilot grooves have a recess formed therein at each of said positions of direction reversal to permit pivotal movement of said pilot block while said shuttle engages said guide wall during direction reversal.
 3. The improvement as recited in claim 1, wherein said guide wall is a detachable member secured to said cam and wherein said track means has a channel extending therein which terminates to define an off-set beyond which the shuttle extends at direction reversal and adjacent to which the detachable member is positioned.
 4. The immprovement of claim 3, wherein the detachable member is a sleeve slidably received onto the cam and wherein said sleeve has a shoulder on which the center of impact occurs.
 5. The improvement as recited in claim 1, wherein the traveler has a center of gravity which is aligned with the center of impact along a plane extending in the direction of motion of said traveler.
 6. The improvement as recited in claim 3, wherein the traveler has a center of gravity which is aligned with the center of impact along a plane extending in the direction of motion of said traveler. 